Luciano Berio

October 24, 1925 - May 27, 2003
born in Oneglia, Italy, composed during the Contemporary period

Luciano Berio (1925-2003) was an Italian composer who was prominent in avant-garde music of the mid-twentieth century. Noted for being more accessible than many of his peers, Berio was best known for Sinfonia, a landmark of the 1960s that was written for the Swingle Singers, contained myriad musical quotations in a collage style and included a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King. Berio and his wife, singer Cathy Berberian, collaborated on numerous vocal projects, including Sequenza III and Thema (Ommagio a Joyce) for voice and electronics. Berio was strongly influential in electronic music as a creator, studio founder, and educator. ~ Blair Sanderson, Rovi

For a moment, I thought I was in the hands of Pierrot Lunaire like Pierrot Le Feu...saved though as I felt by Boulez and a lesser caucophony...a chance to ring a bell by the second landed on the first.